FCS 2019 PREVIEW: Maine Football Has Another Playoff Run Ahead

HERO Sports welcomes you to "Three-a-Days", where we will preview every single one of the 126 FCS programs, with three teams being released each day from June 17 to July 28. Then, we'll preview all 13 conferences from August 1-4. Today, we present … Maine.

We'll leave no stone left unturned when it comes to giving the FCS diehards all they could ask for this offseason. Learn about every program in the country, with HERO Sports.

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MAINE (10-4 IN 2018)

CAA (Maine was 1st in 2018)

COACH: Nick Charlton- At School: 1st year (0-0 record) Overall: Same
LAST FCS POSTSEASON: 2018 (Semifinal loss to Eastern Washington)
2018 OFFENSE: 26.5 ppg. (70th in FCS)
2018 DEFENSE: 23,4 ppg. (30th in FCS)
KEY GAME: Sept. 7 – @ Ga. Southern: In 2017, New Hampshire traveled to the south to play Georgia Southern and won by 10. Now, granted, GSU has improved drastically since then, but Maine beat an FBS team on the road last year (Western Kentucky) and nearly beat another (Central Michigan). And that was really before Maine found its identity later in the year and clawed its way to the FCS' version of the Final Four. There's a lot of talent back for Maine. Could it push an FBS team once again? Maybe so. We'll see.
SUM IT UP: Maine was clearly one of the top stories in the FCS in 2018. Nobody was talking about the Black Bears in preseason (yes, including us, and we think we're smart … well, sometimes we do). Maine was No. 1 in the nation in run defense and took major pride in the defensive nickname "the Black Hole Defense" which goes back many years in Orono. After manhandling OVC champion Jacksonville State in the second round, Maine spent consecutive weeks flying across the country and over the Rocky Mountains to face Big Sky opponents Weber State (which it beat) and Eastern Washington (where the Black Bears finally ran out of gas against a very strong EWU team).

Gutsy quarterback Chris Ferguson does his job well and he's back for another go-around. His top two pass targets are back, and four of the five offensive linemen who started in the FCS semifinal — Gunnar Docos, Michael Gerace, Chris Mulvey and Liam Dobson — are back and ready to dig trenches through opposing defenses. The transfer of 1,000-yard rusher Ramon Jefferson because of off-the-field issues isn't something any coach wants, but the good news for Maine is FBS Buffalo transfer Emmanuel Reed rushed for 840 yards and nine TDs in 2017 and was added to the Doak Walker Award preseason watch list in 2018. Reed and Black Bears returnee Joe Fitzpatrick (476 yards rushing, four TDs) give Maine two proven ball carriers.

Defense is where Maine gets its reputation. When it comes to total defense, rushing defense, passing efficiency defense, third-down conversion allowed and time of possession, Maine was Top 25 nationally in each category in 2018. The program loves turning turnovers into points (4th in the nation in fumble recoveries, 15th in defensive touchdowns, 6th in interceptions) and loves negative yardage plays (No. 4 in sacks, No. 6 in tackles for loss). The stats back it up, this program was stingy last year … until, as stated earlier, it ran out of gas the same weekend it ran into a juggernaut in the state of Washington.

Here's another number for you — 166 career starts return to this defensive unit, and of the 22 two-deep spots Maine had in the playoffs last year? The Black Bears have returnees in 16 of those slots. This group is seasoned, nasty and proud as hell of its defensive reputation. As the coaching staff continually told HERO Sports last year, it takes a certain type of rawbone, hardcore football player to come all the way up to Orono, Maine and thrive — and this program wouldn't have it any other way.

OUR TAKE: You fooled all of us once, Maine … we admit we didn't see your 2018 season coming. You won't fool us again, though. This program is stout, well-coached and knows what it likes in a recruit. That's why we have the Black Bears ranked No. 4 in the 2019 HERO Sports preseason poll. The program is loaded and added gems like Reed (mentioned above as a RB) and late signee Donovan Bunch, an incoming freshman CB who held eight ACC offers as well as West Virginia and Rutgers. That's what has been happening. When previous coach Joe Harasymiak headed to become an assistant at the Big Ten's Minnesota, some wondered what might happen next, but a silky smooth transition took place as the school kept things in house, hiring offensive coordinator Nick Charlton to replace Coach H.

The transition should go very well this fall. Schedule-wise, James Madison isn't on the CAA schedule thanks to sked rotation, but you can almost guarantee these two monster programs will meet up at some point in the FCS postseason. The toughest CAA battle will be Towson at home on Sept. 14, which easily could be listed above as Maine's game of the year. We wouldn't be surprised at all to see Maine win at least 10 regular season ballgames, have a second consecutive season with an FBS win (Liberty or Ga. Southern) and nab a high playoff seed and be playing a long time in the FCS playoffs (again).

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TOP RETURNEE: Sr./DB Manny Patterson (HERO Sports Preseason All American – 22 passes broken up, 3 INTs, 47 tackles)

THE FOUNDATION: Jr./LB Deshawn Stevens (HERO Sports Preseason All American – team's leading tackler, 120 tackles, 17 TFLs, 9 sacks); Sr./DL Kayon Whitaker (HERO Sports Preseason All American – 11.5 TFLs, 9.5 sacks, 50 tackles, 5 hurries); Jr./QB Chris Ferguson (2,372 yards passing, 22 TDs); Sr./RS-WR Earnest Edwards (1st Team All CAA – 839 yards receiving, 10 TDs); Sr./DL Charles Mitchell (2nd Team All CAA – 7 TFLs, 23 tackles); Jr./OL Liam Dobson (2nd Team All CAA); Sr./LB Taji Lowe (85 tackles, 15 TFLs); Soph./OL Michael Gerace (returning starter); Sr./RB Joe Fitzpatrick (476 yards rushing, 4 TDs); Jr./LB Jaron Grayer (7 TFLs, 42 tackles); Soph./DB Katley Joseph (12 passes broken up, 34 tackles, 3 TFLs); Sr./DL Alejandro Oregon (10 TFL, 29 tackles); Jr./OL Chris Mulvey (20 career starts).

TOP NEWCOMER: Sr./RB Emmanuel Reed (Buffalo transfer – 1,244 yards rushing and 10 TDs in FBS).

THE QUOTE: "I am extremely excited and humbled to be named the head football coach of the University of Maine. My family and I are very passionate about the UMaine community and the direction Dr. Ferrini-Mundy and Ken Ralph are taking our university. We are already hard at work to elevate the new standard we have set for Black Bear Football." — Head Coach Nick Charlton said a fter being hired

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